Since the Aug. 30 kitchen fire that charred the inside of O’Rourke’s Diner on Main Street, concerned friends, community members, and loyal patrons have joined in the effort to re-establish the restaurant.

Volunteer workers have cleaned up and removed the fire-destroyed furniture and equipment. The remaining damaged interior is scheduled to be demolished in another week, after which reconstruction will begin.

O’Rourke’s Diner belongs to Middletown’s Main Street Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1947, the rebuilt structure will have to comply with modern safety and other building codes.

“You have to be an optimist to be an architect, and I am optimistic about this project,” said Jeffrey Bianco, a principal architect with Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects in Middletown.

Bianco is offering his professional skills to the reconstructing of the diner. He reported that he has met with a Middletown building official to determine a new interior layout for O’Rourke’s.

Specializing in historic restorations, Bianco believes that it will be possible to preserve O’Rourke’s basic railroad dining car style. Even the diner’s interior art theme may not be as badly affected as was previously feared.

“Fortunately, as sometimes happens, this plan will improve the diner experience for everyone,” Bianco said. “The new booths will be slightly wider and deeper, the new entry will have glass block windscreens for the adjacent seating, and the new counter and the enlarged corner booth will be able to accommodate a patron in a wheelchair.”

As an existing structure, the building requirements for O’Rourke’s are less strict and costly than they would be for a completely new building.

Still, financial difficulties pose an obstacle for owner and Chef Brian O’Rourke. The diner was previously uninsured for fire damage. Initial damage is estimated at $100,000. According to Randy Garbin, publisher of Roadside online magazine commemorating diners and back-road America, rebuilding the diner in compliance with modern standards could cost closer to $500,000, as reported in the Hartford Courant.

The support behind O’Rourke’s cause remains strong, both within the local community and beyond. Although last weekend’s breakfast fundraiser was postponed, other benefit events—the majority of which involve food prepared by the O’Rourke’s staff—have successfully brought in several thousands of dollars. And many, like Bianco, have made significant non-monetary contributions.

One of the latest contributions was a single donation of $10,000. According to the Hartford Courant, O’Rourke’s lawyer received the check from a customer who insisted on remaining anonymous.

The website dedicated to O’Rourke’s, orourkesdiner.com, which was launched by Middletown residents Neil Alan and Jennifer Alexander ’88, continues to be a powerful communication venue and fundraising resource. The site not only provides information about the O’Rourke’s donation fund, but now offers an online credit card payment option.

Fans continue to log onto the website to post messages about their favorite diner memories, express their sympathy to Brian O’Rourke, and offer ideas to help finance the reconstruction. One website post announces that Irish-themed t-shirts, emblazoned with “Save O’Rourke’s Diner,” will soon be available for purchase. Another post proposes appealing to the numerous celebrities that have enjoyed O’Rourke’s cuisine in the past, including famous names such as Chelsea Clinton, Clint Eastwood, and Debra Winger.

Although no concrete schedule or deadlines have been confirmed yet, a positive atmosphere persists regarding the diner’s reconstruction.

“The ultimate goal is to serve corned beef and cabbage on March 17, 2007 [St. Patrick’s Day] and have my closest and dearest friends with me at that physical location,” O’Rourke said to the Hartford Courant.